An American lawyer, representing over 130 individuals impacted by the Air India Flight 171 crash, has submitted flight simulator test data to US and UK aviation authorities. The lawyer argues that these findings may contest elements of the preliminary investigation report on the disaster. The lawyer, D. Michael Andrews, provided the data to the US Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) for assessment.
The lawyer’s clients include those injured or who lost family members in the crash of Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 registered as VT-ANB. Recent tests in a certified Boeing 787 flight simulator examined the timing of the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment and power generation in relation to fuel system changes. The simulator results differ from the sequence outlined in the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s preliminary report.
Andrews highlighted discrepancies between the simulator testing results and the timestamps in the preliminary report. The report indicated a fuel system interruption at 08:08:42 UTC, with RAT hydraulic power generation starting about four to five seconds later. However, simulator testing showed that RAT-generated power was not produced until approximately 18 seconds after the fuel system interruption.
The lawyer suggested that if the reported timestamps are accurate and the simulator results reflect real-world performance, the RAT deployment might have been triggered by an earlier fault rather than fuel system changes. Images from airport security cameras were referenced, showing the RAT deployed while the aircraft was still on the runway before take-off rotation. The preliminary report, released in July 2025, detailed the events leading to the crash, which claimed 241 lives on board and 19 on the ground.
